Fear X proceeds on two levels that are of interest to me. The troubled Harry Caine searches for the killer of his wife but more importantly the reason for her death, the basic thrust of the film therefore is the penetration of a mystery. But at its core it's a film about obsession, about a man meticulously constructing meaning where there may be none, with methodology that may work on strict rationale but to the outside observer comes across as less than sane. I enjoy puzzles and obsessive minds, especially those that approach a task with rigour, so parts of Fear X were fascinating to me, Harry watching security tapes from the mall in which he works security (his wife was killed in the car park), Harry taking photograph screen captures from said tapes and using them for his wall of information (a wall that we never get too much of a look at) bits and pieces like this. The splashes of light upon the mystery are of interest as well, they come as odd and unheralded jolts rather than as part of a traditional unveiling, there's a sense of arbitrariness and lack of control that works rather well. As far as plotting goes this goes left-field even of the realms of gialli where whodunnit set ups were at times almost an irrelevance. Of course, none of this would work without a quality actor to anchor things and the film has John Tuturro as Harry, giving a fine performance. He grips with low key intensity, his face a rarely troubled mask that nonetheless seems to hide deep feeling, a terrific creepily convincing turn. Solid support comes from Stephen McIntyre, a quietly emotive Deborah Kara Unger and particularly noble but conflicted James Remar, buts its Tuturro's show all the way. It could almost be excellent as well, nicely winding its intrigue for just about the entire first two thirds before things start to go wrong. Essentially, everything ends up rather pat, I've read plenty of reviews claiming the end doesn't explain things well enough but really the problem is that the ending is partly too conventional and partly just not that well handled. I won't spoil details, but I craved something a bit more outlandish or oblique in the explanation department and the film switches from lightly sprinkled hallucinatory sequences that work well to a climatic colourful freak out that doesn't. This said, the ending still has nearly as much to appreciate as the rest of the film owing to the performances and particularly cinematography. Moody lighting and hot claustrophobia make for much tension, even if plot-wise things are slipping away. Still, overall I rather enjoyed this one and I suspect it will lend itself nicely to rewatches. Not so good if you don't enjoy using your imagination and require everything spelled out, but worth a watch for fans of the offbeat and low key.

I enjoyed Turturo and Remar and 3/4 of the film was top notch i this genre. As others have said, the ending destroyed the movie by leaving too much to interpretation.Theory 1 - Harry Caine and his OCD had a psychotic break with reality which was climaxed at the hotel and his meeting with Remar's character in Montana. Problem with this is why have Remar talking with other characters about the unintentional death of Caine's wife because a dirty cop had to be taken out.Theory 2 - There was a "Code of Silence" conspiracy by law enforcement and everything that was shown to happen(meeting Remar at the hotel, getting shot, going into some rage and blanking out?) and Caine's confession of murdering the cop(Remar) that killed his wife all actually happened but the police covered it up. If so, then where is his bullet wound? How much time had elapsed? This movie worked like a finely built superhighway that was left unfinished.....

Red hallways and dark corridors. This is all this "thriller" has to offer. And it's not even scary. It doesn't even change your idea of the movie for a second. Bottom line: Fear X is the worst, most boring film I have seen in my life.It tries to tell the story of a man whose wife was notoriously murdered. He looks at the surveillance tape showing her death, he has senseless visions, he even sneaks into the house across the street and searches in there too. Well, at the beginning of the film, it creates the idea that he is really determined to find his wife's killer, but he doesn't look hard enough. Fear X is one of those movies that you can easily fall asleep during, and you can wake up and still follow the story perfectly. Most of the scenes last way too long, without those awkward silences packed in there, this failure of a film would be about 50 minutes long. I must say that I'm surprised that I got through the whole thing. I fell asleep halfway for only ten minutes, but I didn't miss anything. And I know. The movie starts out as a thriller and ends as a huge mess unfolding before your slowly imploding eyes. If you want to see the movie, rent it. Don't buy it. It's definitely not worth it.

This film takes a few viewings, and you will still be puzzling over the theme. John Turturro is Harry Cain, a mall security guard mourning the death of his wife.The film is very visual (the hotel in Montana was filmed by a renowned Kubrick photographer) Some scenes are ominous, and may remind you of "The Shining". The winter environment, Harry's work as an anonymous security guard, all seem to infer his alienation from reality. Also the house across the street, which he begins to fixate on, believing he saw his wife go into the house. Is he hallucinating, or is this really happening?.The film starts slow, but is suspenseful and atmospheric. If you like psychological drama, you will truly enjoy this film. 9/10